BACKGROUND: The international literature is unclear regarding the analgesic efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) after a Caesarean section (CS). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a correctly performed ultrasound-guided TAPB (USG-TAPB) could provide better control of acute postoperative pain during the first 72 hours after CS and if it could provide a faster postoperative recovery. STUDY DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial on pregnant women who underwent CS...

OBJECTIVE: An interdisciplinary historical-medical study, analysis of historical sources, and critical interpretation of the indirect evidence surrounding the childbirth of Beatrice of Bourbon, the second wife of the Bohemian King John of Luxembourg. STUDY TYPE: A material-based study founded on a comparative analysis of available private and public sources, particularly surviving letters, and narrative sources. The conclusions are reached based on a textual interpretation according to historical methods...

BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic or spontaneous spinal hematomas are rarely seen and present with multiple symptoms that can be difficult to localize. Most spontaneous spinal hematomas are multifactorial, and the pathophysiology is varied. Here, we present a case of a scattered, multicomponent, combined subdural and epidural spinal hematoma that was managed conservatively. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 38-year-old woman came to the emergency department (ED) complaining of severe neck and back pain...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the costs of using carbetocin in the prevention of uterine atony following delivery of the infant by Cesarean section (C-section) under epidural or spinal anesthesia with standard methods of prevention (SMP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study was based on data from three medical centers. A questionnaire was developed to gather patient records on consumption and costs of resources related to C-section, prevention of uterine atony and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) treatment...

Background Although Oxytocin is used systematically during caesarean section, no recommendation precise optimal dose for this indication. The bolus administration of 10 IU intravenously after extraction of the newborn, is accompanied by side effects mainly hemodynamic. Objectives To compare two Oxytocin protocols: 05 IU bolus Vs. 10 IU bolus during Cesarean section by studying their respective effectiveness (effects on uterine tone) and adverse effects. Methods A prospective randomized double-blind study including 87 term parturients for undergoing a C-section under loco regional anesthesia...

Meningitis is a rare but serious complication of epidural and spinal anesthesia. Bacterial meningitis is mainly caused by Gram-positive cocci, implying an exogenous contamination which suggests a lack of asepsis. The evolution is usually favorable after treatment, but at the expense of increased health care costs and, sometimes, of significant neurological sequelae. We report a case of bacterial meningitis after spinal anesthesia for caesarean section.

BACKGROUND: Spinal anaesthesia is the standard of care for elective caesarean delivery. It has advantages over general anaesthesia. However the sympathetic blockade induced by spinal anaesthesia results in an 80 percent incidence of hypotension without prophylactic management. Current evidence supports co-loading with intravenous fluids in conjunction with the use of vasopressors as the most effective way to prevent and treat the hypotension. Phenylephrine is the accepted vasopressor of choice in the parturient...

BACKGROUND: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is an important complication of neuroaxial anesthesia and more frequently noted in pregnant women. The pain is described as severe, disturbing and its location is usually fronto-occipital. The conservative treatment of PDPH consists of bed rest, fluid theraphy, analgesics and caffeine. Epidural blood patch is gold standard theraphy but it is an invasive method. The greater occipital nerve (GON) is formed of sensory fibers that originate in the C2 and C3 segments of the spinal cord and it is the main sensory nerve of the occipital region...

Takayasu's arteritis is a rare, idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disease. Its course is unpredictable, but slow progression is usual, leading to stenosis, occlusion, or aneurismal degeneration of the aorta or its major branches. We present the anesthesia management of pregnancy in four women admitted to Peking University Third Hospital for caesarean section from year 2006 to 2015 complicated with Takayasu's arteritis and review this disease with special reference to natural history, diagnostic criteria, classification, prognostic factors, and anesthesia considerations...

BACKGROUND: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is an important complication of neuroaxial anesthesia and more frequently noted in pregnant women. The pain is described as severe, disturbing and its location is usually fronto-occipital. The conservative treatment of PDPH consists of bed rest, fluid theraphy, analgesics and caffeine. Epidural blood patch is gold standard theraphy but it is an invasive method. The greater occipital nerve (GON) is formed of sensory fibers that originate in the C2 and C3 segments of the spinal cord and it is the main sensory nerve of the occipital region...

BACKGROUND: Caesarean section (CS) is a major obstetric intervention, widely recognized as an effective means to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality, when appropriately performed. CS numbers and rates are regularly published but quality is rarely taken into account. This study aims to describe the quality of caesarean delivery in selected hospitals in Benin. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among women who had undergone a CS between 18 December 2013 and 8 February 2014 in one randomly selected hospital in each of the 12 administrative districts of Benin...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and outcomes of preoperative prophylactic metoclopramide and dimenhydrinate use in elective cesarean births. METHODS: Participants (n = 84) scheduled for elective cesarean births were randomized equally into placebo (10 cc 0.9 % NaCl), 10-mg metoclopramide or 50-mg dimenhydrinate groups. Oral alimentation was prohibited 8 h before the surgery; however, patients continued drinking water until 4 h before surgery...

BACKGROUND: Brain tumors are the fifth leading cause of death in women of 20-39 years of age, including pregnant with similar onset and evolution. CASE REPORT: 33 years of age with neurological manifestations due to an intracranial meningioma and 37 weeks pregnant. The pregnancy was terminated and the tumor was removed; the results were favorable for the mother and child. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of intracranial tumors during pregnancy is extremely low...

AIM: The aim of the study was to examine whether ephedrine and phenylephrine were different in their efficacy for managing maternal hypotension and their effect of adverse maternal and neonatal outcome. METHODS: A double-blind randomized controlled study in healthy pregnant women ASA physical status 2, which underwent elective caesarian delivery under spinal anesthesia. Patients were randomized to receive an intravenous bolus of either phenylephrine (Ph group) or ephedrine (E group) immediately after the episode of hypotension after spinal anesthesia...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of horizontal and trendelenburg left lateral position on the onset time and the spread of intrathecal isobaric bupivacaine for elective cesarean delivery. METHODS: 180 parturients were enrolled to undergo elective cesarean delivery with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSE). They were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 60) according to the different positions during anesthesia: Group I horizontal position, Group II trendelenburg position 5 degrees, Group III trendelenburg position 10 degrees...

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinicoradiologic syndrome of headache, visual changes, altered mental status and seizures with radiologic findings of posterior cerebral white matter edema. It is seen in hypertensive encephalopathy, renal failure, and autoimmune disorders or in patients on immunosuppressants. We report a case of 24-year-old primigravida who presented at term with sudden onset hypertension, neurological deficits, and an episode of the visual blackout. Magnetic resonance imaging showed features suggestive of PRES...

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of ganglioneuroblastoma encountered rarely in adults, especially during pregnancy. Materials and METHODS: The authors present a case of ganglioneuroblastoma relapse during the third trimester of pregnancy in a patient previously treated for ganglioneuroblastoma who had a eight-year disease-free interval. Late manifestation of neurological symptoms (vestibular syndrome, nystagmus, slightly right motor deficit) was perhaps influenced by the hormonal pregnancy effects...